Self-closing door hinge



April 30, 1968 w. B. Rulz SELF-CLOSING DOOR HINGE Filed Feb. 2, 1966 INVENTOR. WILLIAM B. RUIZ Y nD ATTORNEY.

United States Patent O 3,380,109 SELF-CLOSING DOOR HINGE William B. Ruiz, 1010 SW. 2nd Ave., Miami, Fla. 33130 Filed Feb. 2, 1966, Sel'. N0. 535,277 Claims. (Cl. 16-50) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A door hinge the hinge leaves of which are interconnected by a helical torsion spring circumjacent its pintle for self-closing action, and further including a cylindrical brake lining fixed with respect to one of the hinge leaves and a bnake surface fixed with respect to the other of the hinge leaves :and in frictional face-to-face contact with the brake lining for retarding the laccelerating action of the torsion spring on the hinge leaves.

My invention relates to hinges, and is directed particularly to improvements in spring actuated self-closing door hinges.

Self-closing door hinges of the type having a torsion spring arranged about the hinge pintle and adapted to resiliently constrain the hinge leaves in door closing position are known. Such hinges, commonly used on screen doors, have a tendency t-o accelerate the door into closed position when the door is released from an open position, to slam into the door frame with considerable force. This acceleration is due to the fact that the inertia of the door when at its stationary open position is only gradually overcome by the action of the spring as the door closes. This action is -a source of much annoyance, especially when doors so equipped are used in public places where there is much traffic, or when used by children, in the home running in and out of the house without properly handling the door. In an attempt to overcome this disadvantage in spring-actuated hinges, various types of snubbers and piston actuated decelerators have been devised to neutralize this slamming action of spring hinges. Such devices, however, are ex- Ipensive to install and unsightly in appearance, and therefore have found only limited use ras a adjunct to spring hinges.

It is accordingly the principal object of my invention to provide, in a self-closing door hinge having a torsion spring, means for retarding the accelerating action of the torsion spring on the hinge leaves so as to close the door at an even, compartively slow rate without slamming.

A more particular object is to provide a self-closing door hinge of the above nature wherein the retarding means comprises a cylindrical brake drum circumjacent the hinge pintle and coopeartive with a brake band so constructed and arranged as to impede the closing movement of the hin-ge leaves by friction brake action.

Another object is to provide a self-closing door hinge of the character described including mechanism for staying the self-closing action for holding a door equipped with such hinges open at a plurality of positions, selectively.

Yet another object is to provide a self-closing door hinge which can be released from open staying position automatically simply by pushing the associated door toward closed position.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an improved self-closing door hinge which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to adjust, and foolproof in operation.

Other objects, features and advantages 0f my invention will be apparent from the following description when considered with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3,380,109 Patented Apr. 30, 1968 In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views: FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a door hinge embodying the invention, shown in open position;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 but showing parts of the operating mechanism in vertical section;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view, taken along the line 3 3 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken along the line 5 5 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. -6 is a top view of the hinge, shown installed and adjusted to stay the door at a 45 degrees open position.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, 10 in FIG. l designates a self-closing door hinge embodying my invention, the same comprising, generally, a pair of hinge leaves 11, 12 having countersunk attachment screw holes 13, 14, respectively, a pintle 15, a torsion spring 16, a cylindrical drum 17 and a brake assembly 18. The hinge leaf 12 is formed along one side with a pair of aligned end pintle receiving knuckles 19, 20. The hinge leaf 11 is formed with aligned, pintle-receiving knuckles 21, 22 registering with and abutting the inner ends of the end knuckles 19, 20, respectively, of the hinge leaf 12. The pintle 15 extends through the aligned openings of the registering leaf knuckles 19, 20, 21 and 22. The helical torsion spring 16 is disposed circumjacent the pintle 15 within the cylindrical drum 17. The upper end of the -cylindrical drum 17 is fitted with a cylindrical plug member 23 having a reduced diameter portion 24 rotatably received therein. A peripheral edge portion of the reduced diameter portion 24 of the plug member 23 is formed with a slot 25 received in constraining relation within which is an upwardly projecting end portion 26 of the torsion spring 16. The cylindrical plug member 23 is provided with an axial bore 27 through which the pintle 15 passes freely,

and a plurality of equidistantly-spaced radial bores 28 adapted to receive one end of a stay pin 29, for the purpose hereinafter described.

The lower end of the cylindrical drum 17 is fitted with a cylindrical bottom plug member 30, secured in relatively fixed position therein as by la radial lock pin 31 (see FIG. 2). It will be noted that the plug member 30 is not only secured within the cylindrical drum 17 but is secured in a relatively fixed position thereto by means of the lock pin 31. A stay pin 32 extends radially outwardly of the lower end of the cylindrical drum 17, and is normally in abuttment at its outer end with an outside portion of the hinge leaf 12, under the torsional force of the torsion spring 16 when wound -as is hereinbelow more fully described. As is best illustrated in FIG. 2, the cylindrical bottom plug member 30 is provided with a slot 33 received -in constraining relation within which is a downwardly-projecting end portion 34 of the torsion spring 16. The cylindrical bottom plug member 30 is provided with an axial bore 35 through which the pintle 15 passes freely, and, at its outer or lower end, the drum 17 is formed with an outwardly-projecting annular rim portion 36 having a plurality of substantially equidistantlyspaced arcuate notches 37. Seated within the recess defined by the rim portion 36 of the bottom plug member 30 and in circurnjacent relation with respect to the pintle 15 is the helical -spring portion 38 at one end of which is located an adjustment rod 39, which may be of stiff wire. As illustrated in FIGS, l, 2, 5 and 6, the adjustment rod 39 passes horizontally through one of the rim notches 37 4and terminates in a vertically-extending loop 40 which serves as a handle for adjustment, as is hereinbelow more fully described.

The adjustment rod 39 is thin enough not to interfere with full closure of the hinge. The outer end of the helical spring lportion 38 of the adjustment rod 39 is constrained against a Washer 38a seated against the inner end of the pintle receiving knuckle 22 of the hinge leaf 11. It will thus be apparent that the adjustment rod 39 is resiliently held in seated position in any selected one of the notches 37 of the bottom plug member 30, and that movement from one position to another in said notches can be effected manually simply by lifting the handle end of said rod downwardly against the action of its helical spring portion 38, and then moving it arcuately into the desired notch, for the purpose hereinbelow more fully described.

A central marginal portion at the inside of the hinge leaf 11 is formed with a ri-ght angular off-set portion 41 providing an outwardly-spaced parallel wall portion 42 against which one end of a exible metal brake band 43 is affixed by means of a clamp bar 44 secured in place by machine screws 45. The brake band 43 overlies a strip of brake lining material 46 surrounding the outer surface of the cylindrical drum 17, and has turned in flange portions 47 along each side to prevent axial movement of said brake lining with respect to said brake band. The outer extremity of the brake band 43 is clamped between outer and inner clamp bars 48 and 49, respectively, secured in place by machine screws 50.

Means is provided for adjusting the tensional force at the outer extremity of the brake band 43. To this end, tension adjustment screws 51, S2 fitted with circumjacent helical springs 53, 54, respectively, pass through openings in opposed outwardly-projecting portions of the outer clamp bar 48 and are threadedly received in the wall portion 42 of the hinge leaf 11.

In operation, the torsion spring 16 is activated by turning the drum 17 in the anti-clockwise direction (as seen in FIG. 3) and is retained in wound condition by means of the stay pin 29, the outer end of which abuts the outside of the wall portion 42 of the hinge leaf 11. Since the lower end of the torsion spring 16 is supported in fixed relation with respect to the cylinder drum 17, and since the stay pin 32 secured to the lower end of said cylinder drum abuts against an outside marginal portion of the hinge leaf 12, it will be apparent that the activated torsion spring will normally resiliently urge the two hinge leaves together, viz., into door closing relation. The brake assembly, however, inhibits the free rotational movement of the drum 17 to prevent slamming of a door on which the hinge is used, and the retarding action of the brake mechanism can readily be controlled by adjustment of the brake band tension adjustment screws 51, 52. In this connection it is to be noted that while the brake mechanism is operative when the dor closes, opening of the hinge has a tendency to lift the outer end of the brake band 43 away from its inner end against the compression-a1 force of the springs 53, thereby releasing the gripping action on the brake lining 46. The braking mechanism thus offers substantially no resistance to opening of the door, While becoming immediately effective upon the door moving in the closing direction.

FIG. 6 illustrates how a door D in a frame F can be held or stayed in 45 degree open position by abutment of the adjustment rod 39 against the inside of the fixed hinge leaf 11, Said rod being positioned in one of the arcuate notches 37 wherein said rod acts as a wedge against the torsional expansion of spring 16. (See broken line representation thereof in FIG. 6.) Placement of the adjustment rod 39 in other of the arcuate notches 37 as described above, would serve to hold the door open at other positions, for example at 90, 135 and 180 degrees, selectively. Closure of a door so held open is effected 4 simply by pushing the door into closing position, whereupon the adjustment rod will be forced to ride out of its notch 37 and any other notches as the hinge drum 17 turns in closure.

While I have illustrated and described herein only one form in which my invention can conveniently be embodied in practice, it is to be understood that this form is presented by way of example only and not in a limiting sense. The invention, in brief, includes all the forms and embodiments coming within the scope and spirit of the following claims:

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a self-closing door hinge, the combination comprising, a pair of hinge leaves having intertting knuckles providing a common pivotal opening, .a pintle received in said pivotal opening and holding said hinge leaves in relatively swinging relation, a helical torsion spring circumjacent said pintle, mechanism interconnecting the opposed ends of said helical torsion spring with one'each of said pair of hinge leaves for urging said hinge leaves in mutually closed position, a brake surface fixed with respect to one of said hinge leaves, a brake lining in face-to-face Contact with said brake surface, a brake band fixed with respect to the other of said hinge leaves and in face-to-face contact with the outer face of said brake lining, and means for adjusting cont-act force between said brake lining and said brake band.

2. The invention as dened in claim 1 including mechanism for holding said hinge leaves in one of a plurality of relatively open positions, selectively against the urging of said torsion spring.

3. In a self-closing door hinge, the combination comprising, a pair of hinge leaves having intertting knuckles providing a common pivotal opening, a pintle received in said pivotal opening and holding said hinge leaves in relatively swinging relation, a helical torsion spring circumjacent said pintle, mechanism interconnecting the opposed ends of said helical torsion spring with one each of said pair of hinge leaves for urging said hinge leaves in mutually closed position, a cylindrical brake drum surrounding said helical torsion spring, means constraining said brake drum to rotary movement in unison with one of said hin-ge leaves, a brake lining surrounding said brake drum, a brake band secured to the other of said hinge leaves and surrounding said brake lining in closely ernbracing relationship, and means for adjusting the contact force between said brake lining and said brake band.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein one end of said brake band is rigidly secured to said other of said hinge leaves, and resiliently mechanism securing the other end of said brake band to said other of said hinge leaves.

5. The invention as dened in claim 4 including mechanism for holding said hinge leaves in one of a plurality of relatively open positions, selectively, against the urging of said torsion spring.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,442,892 1/ 1923 Leinbach 16-49 1,612,237 12/1926 Thornton 16-49 XR 2,328,851 9/ 1943 Shackleton 16-49 1,837,716 12/1931 Johnsen 16-5() 2,018,564 10/1935 Milly 16-84 2,203,197 6/1940 Henry 16-50 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

I. L. KOHNEN, Assistant Examiner. 

